RESULTS || ARKADELPHIA, Ark. –Oklahoma Baptist won its first Great American Conference Men’s Cross Country Championship title on Saturday at Ouachita Baptist University. The Bison narrowly bested Harding while Southern Arkansas finished in third, five points behind the Bison.
Harding’s Dylan Douglas won the individual competition with a time of 25:16.7 He finished 10 seconds in front of SAU’s Lexington Hilton. Hilton won the GAC’s Freshman of the Year award.
Oklahoma Baptist’s Noah Eskew placed third in a time of 25:29.0 to lead the Bison. Steven Clark and DeAngelo Robles also registered top-10 finishes.
In addition to Douglas, Keneth Chelelgo placed inside the top 10 for Harding. He crossed the line in eighth.
Three Muleriders registered top-10 finishes. Nathaniel Zapata took fifth while Anthony Vasquez placed sixth.
East Central, the six-time GAC champions, took fourth. Jakaveon Shaw, the 2018 GAC Freshman of the Year, led the Tigers as he finished in ninth.
Northwestern Oklahoma State’s Garrison Blanton posted the top finish for a Ranger in the program’s DII era. He placed fourth with a time of 25:42.1
Southern Nazarene and Arkansas-Monticello rounded out the team scoring. Zach McAlpin led the Crimson Storm with a 19
th-place showing.
The top 10 runners earned First-Team All-GAC honors while finishers 11 through 20 placed on the All-GAC Second Team.
The GAC also recognized its top scholar athlete. Arkansas-Monticello’s Johnmark Perry received the GAC Elite Scholar Athlete honor.